He has published books, book chapters, and journal articles on fifteenthcentury woodcuts. As an artist he is intent on both making art just another object in the world and seeking to dematerialize it. Sol lewitt 19282007 was pivotal in the creation of the new radical aesthetic of the 1960s that was a revolutionary contradiction to the abstract expressionism current in the 1950s and 60s new york school. Sol lewitts deceptively simple geometric sculptures and drawings and. By focusing on the disjunction between these terms, lewitt bridged the gap between minimalism and conceptual art. Solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928 april 8, 2007 was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. Get the best deal by comparing prices from over 100,000 booksellers. Lary bloom is the author or coauthor of ten books, including the biography, sol lewitt. In one exhibit shown in this book, sol lewitt examines and deconstructs all the possible forms of an open frame cube. In 1968, the american artist sol lewitt devised a new system of drawing. Apr 09, 2007 sol lewitt was born in hartford, connecticut, on sept. As we explain in our book, conceptual art, these works were applied directly onto walls and executed by others, following a set of lewitt s instructions. Apr 10, 2007 sol lewitt, an american artist whose modular sculptures and systematic murals rank among the most innovative works of the last 40 years, changing the direction of art internationally, died sunday. With this assurance i hope to justify his confidence.
The ziggurat and setback skyscraper had the greatest influence on lewitts foursided pyramid. Jul 01, 2010 sol lewitt was born in hartford, connecticut, to russian jewish immigrant parents and received a bfa from syracuse university. Like many of sol lewitt s wall drawings made in the late 1990s and early 2000s, wall drawing 999 is painted in acrylic paint and features irregular, nongeometric forms, a profound departure from his early systematic drawings in pencil. His father, a doctor, died when he was 6, after which he moved with his mother, a nurse, to live with an aunt. Sol lewitt 19282007 was a sculptor and draftsman of italy and new york. Solomon sol lewitt was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. Whether its a sculpture, a painting or a drawing, sol lewitts work is almost always instantly recognizable for its rigorous lines, modular. One of the things i do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. Eva hesse and sol lewitt, blanton museum of art, university of texas, austin, february 23may 18, 2014. Mar 18, 2014 eva hesse and sol lewitt were the closest of friends, their bond informing much of their work. The book format was peculiarly suited to lewitts serial experimentation. Questia in terms of legacies, that of sol lewitt, who died last month, is immeasurable. An indepth monograph that covers his career from start to finish, its an eyeopener, especially if your lewitt.
More recently, he has extended his interest in the history of printmaking to include twentiethcentury america, specifically the prints of sol lewitt. Almost autistic seeming at times, sol lewitt has a way of setting up circumstances for artistic study and then executing every single possibility as deemed by those circumstances. There have been numerous articles about sol lewitt, including enter the artists berlin studio without leaving l. Lary bloom knew sol lewitt as a friend when the hartfordborn, new britainraised conceptualist artist lived in chester in his later years. His belief in the artist as a generator of ideas was instrumental in the transition from the modern to the postmodern era. Lewitt reminds hesse that perfectionism kills creativity and, in a parallel to jennifer egans assertion that bad writing is a way of priming the pump for great writing, urges her to surrender the addiction to good work and use the bad as a springboard into the great. Lewitt, sol sol lewitt artist page with links to monographs, museum exhibition catalogs, criticism, catalogues raisonnes, related publications, and. The books and articles below constitute a bibliography of the sources used in.
Sol lewitt obituary visit guest book hartford, conn. Sol lewitt earned a place in the history of art for his leading role in the conceptual movement. Lary blooms book draws on personal recollections of lewitt, whom he knew in the last years of the artists life, as well as lewitts letters and papers and over. Eva hesse and sol lewitt were the closest of friends, their bond informing much of their work. Ap sol lewitt, an artist known for his dynamic wall paintings and as a founder of minimal and conceptual art styles, died sunday in new. Sol lewitt 19282007, one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, upended traditional practices of how art is made and marketed.
Lewitt has said, when presented with the scale that walls have, one must begin to engage their. Conceptual art is typically associated with a number of american artists of the 1960s and 70sincluding sol lewitt, joseph kosuth, lawrence weiner. Sol lewitt has 47 books on goodreads with 228 ratings. Oral history interview with sol lewitt, 1974 july 15. Lewitt stated that ideas, not physical creations, are the substance of art. Sol lewitt by bury, stephen art monthly, issue 337, june. The editor has written me that he is in favor of avoiding the notion that the artist is a kind of ape that has to be explained by the civilized critic. Philosophy and conceptual art, 2007 online research library. Conceptual art is not necessarily logical, he wrote in an article in.
His family lived in hartford, connecticut until his father, a doctor, died when sol was six years old. Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. Over the fifty or so years of his artistic career, sol lewitt american, b. How sol lewitt broke art apart from its ideas art agenda. But then he took a job at the book counter at the museum of modern art, where he. Sol lewitt was born in hartford, connecticut, on sept. Dodd, the ignorant maestro with itay talgam, and the test of our times with tom ridge. The artists book since 1950, museum meermanno, the hague, the netherlands, march 14july, 2014. Apr 09, 2007 sol lewitt was born in hartford, on sept. Sol lewitt s most popular book is between the lines. A retrospective and the accompanying exhibition organized by gary garrels of the san francisco museum of modern bring us uptodate. His father, a doctor, died when he was 6, after which he moved with his mother, a nurse, to live. Sol lewitt, american artist whose work provides a link between minimalism and conceptual art. Stubborn artists and the salience of lewitts lines.
Sol lewitt was among those who led the charge for minimalism and conceptual art, stating infamously, the idea becomes a machine that makes the art. A key figure in minimalism and conceptualism, he proclaimed that the work of the mind is much. Soon after, he moved with his mother, a nurse, to live with an aunt in new britain, connecticut. He traveled to europe where he was exposed to old master painting, then served in the korean war and moved to new york in the 1950s where he studied at the school of visual arts. The centre pompidoumetz in paris has been holding a major retrospective of minimal and conceptual art pioneer sol lewitt, complete with 33 of his massive wall drawings. Bernice rose writes that lewitt himself mentions martins pencil grids as an important influence on his drawing, the final difference being that martin confined herself to a format in which the grid hovered in a spatial surround on a canvas. Logical guesses, driscoll babcock galleries, new york, march april 26, 2014. On kawarawith lewitt printing in columns all the combinations of these words. Sol lewitt exhibition catalogs, books, bibliography, biography. Sol lewitts most popular book is between the lines. The art newspaper is the journal of record for the visual arts world, covering international news and events. It seems that cage was a pivotal figure to many artists of the late 50s early 60s. A new book, converging lines, chronicles their kinship through personal photos, affectionate letters and. He had no interest in inherent narrative or descriptive imagery.
Catalogue, softcover, 192 pages, black and white on newsprint 7. Page 3 of lewitts letter to hesse courtesy of the lewitt collection. Sol lewitt untitled from notes on a room 1998 artsy. Lewitts work calls our attention to the disparity between the world of language and that of objects and actions. Sol lewitt, born today, 9 september, in 1928, was a 20th century new york painter and sculptor, known for his white, opencube structures, and his simple, abstract murals. Sol lewitt by bury, stephen art monthly, issue 337. Now stateside fans can immerse themselves in the artists oeuvre with the upcoming u. May 05, 2019 lary bloom is the author or coauthor of ten books, including the biography, sol lewitt. Could two american artists have less in common than sol lewitt and llyn foulkes. Lewitts bookmaking fits squarely within his commitment to order and seriality, revealing his overall practice. An excellent copy of lewitts artist book analysing lines and colour variation. Conceptual art, also called postobject art or artasidea, artwork whose medium is an idea or a concept, usually manipulated by the tools of language and sometimes documented by photography. Solomon sol lewitt was the only child of russian jewish parents. His father, a doctor and inventor, died when he was 6.
Using a black hard crayon, draw a twenty inch square. Interviewing sol lewitt required a ride into the connecticut countryside, where he lives with his wife and daughters. Paragraphs on conceptual art sol lewitt corner college. See more ideas about conceptual art, wall drawing and art. Sol lewitt was born in hartford, connecticut, to russian jewish immigrant parents and received a bfa from syracuse university. As we explain in our book, conceptual art, these works were applied directly onto walls and executed by others, following a set of lewitts instructions. Solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928 april 8, 2007 was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism lewitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and structures a term he preferred instead of sculptures but was prolific in a wide range of media including drawing, printmaking, photography, painting, installation, and. The story behind a new sol lewitt mural art agenda phaidon. How sol lewitt broke art apart from its ideas art agenda phaidon. Sol lewitt art monthly, issue 306, may 2007 online. Lewitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and structures a term he preferred instead of sculptures but was prolific in a wide range of media including drawing, printmaking, photography, painting, installation and artist. The thinking of john cage derived from duchamp and dada. Philosophy and conceptual art, 2007 online research.
Provenance this interview is part of the archives of american art oral history program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the united states, primarily through interviews with. As we write in the art book, lewitt exploited the contradiction between what we know to be. Solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928april 8, 2007 was an american artist regarded as a pioneer in both the conceptual and minimalist art movements. An exchange with sol lewitt with an introduction by curator regine basha. Sol lewitt used lines, geometric solids, ratio, patterns, formulas, and permutations to create his modern structures and wall paintings. I have found content for some of sol lewitts orphans, the. A wall drawing retrospective at mass moc a is a landmark installation which includes forty years of lewitts work covering nearly an acre of wall surface built to the artists specifications over three stories of a historic mill building in a 19 th century former factory in north. Apr 04, 2020 sol lewitt, american artist whose work provides a link between minimalism and conceptual art. Yet both, in their own way, help define what is exciting and cuttingedge in contemporary art. Sol lewitt on the roof the metropolitan museum of art. Sol lewitt circa 1960 however, neither medium was as important to the artist as the mental conception of the work, and lewitt worked towards dislocating the work of art from.
Based in london and new york, the englishlanguage publication is part of a network of. This structure lewitt did not use the term sculpture for his threedimensional art is made of blocks stacked and stepped back in an orderly pattern and is based. Areford is a specialist in latemedieval european devotional art, especially early printmaking. Thereafter, lewitt and his mother, a nurse, lived with his aunt in new britain, connecticut. Sol lewitts electrifying letter of advice on selfdoubt. But sol lewitts work is a buooyant reminder of the way that apparent simplicity often shrouds the real work of the conceptual work of artthe work done within the artists mind. The ziggurat and setback skyscraper had the greatest influence on lewitt s foursided pyramid. Sol lewitt irregular grid, 1999, by sol lewitt the centre pompidoumetz in paris has been holding a major retrospective of minimal and conceptual art pioneer sol lewitt, complete with 33 of his massive wall drawings. The story behind a new sol lewitt mural art agenda. He has published books, book chapters, and journal articles on fifteenthcentury woodcuts and metalcuts, as well as manuscript illumination and panel painting.
During the 80s and 90s, lewitts work moved from a cerebral asceticism toward rich color and surfaces and a more explicit sensuality and expressiveness. Sol lewitt 1928 2007 sol lewitt was born on september 9th, 1928 in hartford, connecticut to eastern european immigrants. See more ideas about conceptual art, wall drawing and installation art. Saul ostrow was there a relationship between your thinking about art and john cages composition, his scoring of chance. This structure lewitt did not use the term sculpture for his threedimensional art is made of blocks stacked. A key figure in minimalism and conceptualism, he proclaimed that the work of the mind is much more important than that of the hand. Sol lewitt, an american artist whose modular sculptures and systematic murals rank among the most innovative works of the last 40 years, changing the direction of. You and carl andre participated in the xerox book and some of. Sol lewitt art monthly, issue 306, may 2007 online research library. Discover book depositorys huge selection of sol lewitt books online. A life of ideas, to be published in april by wesleyan university press, and the writer within, letters from nuremberg with christopher j. Paragraphs on conceptual art sol lewitt artforum june, 1967.
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